Precision Motion and Automation Sub-Systems to Showcase at SPIE Photonics West 2019

PI will highlight its new gantries, automation sub-systems for laser material processing, and silicon photonics (SiP) alignment engines in addition to novel piezoceramic drive solutions and motion and control technologies at Photonics West in San Francisco, starting February 5, 2019.

January 22, 2019: Descend the escalator and enter the exhibit hall to the world’s largest multidisciplinary photonics event. Taking just a few steps past the entrance, PI’s booth displays the latest state-of-the-art precision motion technologies. PI engineers are on-hand to answer questions and propose solutions for precision motion projects in industry, research, and science.

High-Speed Precision Automation:  Hybrid Gantries / Linear Motors / Air Bearings / Piezo Flexures

PI’s new hybrid gantry has a unique, space saving guide design. The bridge axis is equipped with an air bearing guide that allows exact control of velocity as well as outstanding repeatability and straightness, while reducing particle emission over the work area considerably.

New linear motor stages, specifically developed for industrial automation help photonics and laser processing engineers design better performing motion systems. New Piezo flexure-guided linear positioners offer excellent precision and responsiveness with step and settle typically in the millisecond range with billions of cycles of service life. Cost-effective and small footprint options are available for easy integration into applications such as image scanning, overlay, fast autofocus, interferometry, and super-resolution microscopy. Air bearings with linear motor drives provide another option when long travel vibration-free motion is required, highly constant velocity control is crucial, together with angular repeatability and geometric performance.

Miniaturization – Finger-Tip Sized Positioners

The ongoing miniaturization of instruments requires opto-mechanical alignment, positioning, and assembly on a smaller scale. Direct drive piezo motors that are only a few millimeters in size enable ultra-compact positioning stages. Finger-tip sized linear and rotary stages are standard, but much smaller custom designs are feasible.  Single to 6-axis designs are available. Resolutions from microns to nanometers are standard.

High-Speed Photonics Alignment Engines

PI’s SiP alignment product line addresses the requirement of aligning multiple parallel optical paths with multiple interacting inputs and outputs, each requiring optimization. The automated alignment engines include 3 to 12-axis mechanisms, controllers with firmware based alignment algorithms, and the software tools to meet the high accuracy demands of different markets such as packing, planar testing, and inspection. Hexapod 6-axis parallel positioning systems are instrumental to fast SiP alignment due to their lower inertia, improved dynamics, smaller package size and higher stiffness, and programmable pivot point.

Microscopy Imaging and Bio-Nanotechnology Solution Packages

Researchers make use of the sub-atomic resolution and extreme responsiveness of piezo stages and nanopositioners to create higher-quality images faster. PI provides a large variety of fast XYZ stages and microscope lens positioners for 3D imaging (Z-stack acquisition), deconvolution, and fast auto-focusing applications.  A line of ultra-stable long-travel microscope stages with self-locking piezo motors is also available.

Gantries typically provide motion in 2 or 3 linear degrees of freedom (X-Y and X-Y-Z) and are often used for pick and place applications, 3D printing or laser machining, and welding applications. (A-341 Hybrid Gantry shown)
Industrial multi-axis linear motor stages for laser marking applications
A 10-axis precision motion and positioning system includes a includes a hexapod for angular alignment along with a software programmable pivot point. A fast voice coil actuator with high-resolution force feedback operates the robotic finger for touch panel testing.
  18 axis Fast Multi-channel Photonics Alignment (FMPA) system, fully automated, used for wafer testing
XZ and XY-Theta-Z configuration examples of linear and rotary positioning stages (pin used for scale)
PInano XY and XYZ piezo flexure scanners for Microscopy (P-545 shown)
P-725 PIFOC piezo flexure scanners for microscope lenses / objective delivers sub-nanometer precision
A hexapod is based on a 6-axis (XYZ, Pitch, Roll, Yaw) actuator system arranged in parallel between a top and bottom platform. Available in many sizes, to handle loads from 2kg to 2000k. (H-850 shown)
Air bearings provide advantages over mechanical bearings when vibration-free motion is required, highly constant velocity control is crucial, and when angular repeatability and geometric performance must be optimal. (A-311 shown)

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